When Missions Get Dire
by ImakeShipHappen
Summary: While out on a mission, Toby and Paige learn that there might be something more to their relationship. With things on ice between both Paige and Walter and Toby and Happy, perhaps this is what they need. *Will contain kissing scenes as well as missions with the whole group.* (I will be adding more chapters) Please leave a review to let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1

***Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read the story! Please feel free to leave me a review and let me know what you think or what I can improve on. I know the Toby/Paige coupling may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I thought it would make for something interesting and different as most fics tend to focus on Waige or Quintis. Hope you guys enjoy! ***

It happened during an extraordinarily harrowing mission. Or maybe it happened before that. Maybe it happened that first day when Toby asked Walter to "tell that waitress I'm gonna be right back". Or when Paige smiled as Toby came back boasting about his success and asking for a statue of him to be placed at LAX. Perhaps it was every time Toby expressed sincere concern over his stupid hat or every time Paige was shocked at his keen insight into human motivation and action. Whenever it first was, whatever started it, this was the culmination. And neither Paige nor Toby were sure how to react.

But first, back to that harrowing mission. Scorpion was instructed to obtain a thumb drive from a large corporation that contained sensitive information. The mission was simple, but the circumstances were dangerous, given that it was known that the company had spies working for them that did not exactly have a conscious when it came to taking a human life. The plan was for Toby and Paige to distract the security guards while Happy and Walter used the makeshift device that Walter programmed and Happy built in order to locate the thumb drive.

Everything was going according to plan until one of those soulless spies caught wind of Toby and Paige's act and reprimanded them. They were locked in a jail type cell in the basement, a single silver bench the only piece of furniture in the small cement room with state of the art glass doors that automatically locked. The cell was a true mix of high tech and primitive decor.

"At least he didn't kill us," Toby said looking at Paige as she sat on the bench. He followed suite and sat down next to her. She turned to face him.

"This isn't funny, Toby. He could come back any minute with weapons or friends or anything. And our coms aren't working down here so the team doesn't even know where we are." Toby could tell that Paige was nearing her breaking point and he desperately needed to calm her down. Although he wasn't sure that there was anything to calm her given their circumstances.

"Walter will come through for us. He always does. I don't know where you've been over the past months, but I've been working with team Scorpion and team Scorpion doesn't fail. We will be okay." He looked into Paige's eyes and she held his gaze. Her nose wrinkled and it alerted Toby that she was contemplating what was happening within this gaze. Truth be told, he was doing the same. Questioning what it meant that the moment their eyes locked, his heart fluttered. When she tilted her head, as if about to ask him something, he took the opportunity to reach his hand to hers. Nothing terribly romantic, just a subtle brush back and forth on her finger as if to reassure her. She moved her hand out from under his and looked away.

"I hope so." She muttered under her breath, barely registering in Toby's ears. But he sensed enough to know that Paige needed more assurance. And maybe it also helps to put him at ease.

"This is a normal fear response. Your anxiety levels are rising from the situation and the thought of never seeing Ralph again. It's the expected reaction when put in a situation like this. But it's still irrational knowing what we know. Do you really think the team would let anything happen to us? Do you really think I would let anything happen to you?"

With that, Paige looked back at him. Her eyes were welling up but not allowing the tears to fall. Toby was also visibly emotional, but more in control than Paige. Paige continued to stare at him without saying a word.

"What?" He finally broke the awkward silence that was actually a lot less awkward than one would have thought.

"Nothing...it's silly."

Toby let out a slight giggle and responded, "Have you not met me?"

"Well, that's actually what I was thinking. I mean, we've worked together for quite some time now. And we are currently, and a good portion of the time, in life or death situations and I don't really know you that well." Paige smiled nervously after saying this, realizing how dumb she must sound. Toby gave a half smile himself. The new conversation easing some of the tension and anxiety of the dire situation they were in.

"Well, what do you want to know?" He asked.

SCENE CHANGE

Meanwhile, Walter and Happy had successfully gotten the thumb drive, and backed it up using their homemade device, should anything happen to the actual memory stick. They were running down flights of stairs, yelling into their coms for Toby or Paige to answer. The door on the landing below them crept open, and they stopped in their tracks and fell silent. Walter instinctively put his hand in front of Happy as a parent does to a child when their car makes a sudden stop. They both looked at each other and shook their heads in wordless agreement. Happy was about to drop her bag down the flight of stairs to produce a distraction and hope that the cold hearted spy they were about to meet wouldn't look up. However, when the door fully opened, it revealed Cabe, gun in hand surveying the scene.

"Cabe, thank God." Walter said as he and Happy started their descent back down the stairs towards Cabe.

Cabe looked up at them. "Where are Toby and Paige?" He asked.

"We aren't sure. And they aren't answering us." Happy said.

Walter put his finger to his earpiece to hear better and talked to Sylvester, who was outside in the van, monitoring the video cameras. "Sly, do you have any read on Toby and Paige?"

Sly looked through all the monitors in the van but did not see them. "I'm not sure. I don't see them anywhere. Hold on. Let me look at the schematics." He pulled up the building plans and saw that the basement was much larger than a building this size would normally have. "Guys, they might be in the basement."

Walter, Happy, and Cabe looked at each other. Happy was the first to speak. "The basement could render their coms useless if there are thick cement walls."

"I'll bet there's some kind of cells down there. They would need a place to hold people they want to question or..." Cabe chimmed in and then trailed off before completing his sentence.

Walter understood what Cabe was implying. "Well, we need to go find them before anything happens."

"Works for me," Happy said as she took the lead down the stairs.

SCENE CHANGE

Cabe, Walter and Happy ran down the long hallway filled with empty cells. Finally, they heard...laughing? The trio rounded a corner to see Toby and Paige sitting on a silver bench in a small cell, with Paige touching Toby's shoulder as she curled over from copious amounts of laughter. Toby was also a bit red in the face as you could tell that this laughing fit had been occurring for at least a few minutes.

"Hey Doc. You enjoying your jail time?" Happy asked as she started working on disabling the electronic lock that was holding the two in their captivity.

The pair looked up to see their friends coming to the rescue. Toby turned to Paige and said, "see. I told you they wouldn't let us down."

Paige took a second to regain her composure and said "Yeah. I guess you were right."

SCENE CHANGE

After getting the files to Deputy Director Cooper, the gang went back to the garage. Sylvester immediately sat at his desk and perused his latest comic book find. Happy started messing around with some metals and a soldering iron. Walter and Cabe were outside by the front door, discussing improvements that needed to be made if Scorpion was going to continue to take on such dangerous missions.

Paige was sitting on the roof looking at the stars. Toby walked up from behind her and sat down beside her. "Enjoying the vast space after our hour in a 9 by 13?" He asked.

"It really puts things in perspective," she answered, her gaze not moving from the sky.

Toby kept staring at her. Admiring the intensity that she had while looking at the stars. "Yeah." He finally said. "Puts things in perspective."

With that, Paige turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and for a single moment, Paige felt as though she wanted to kiss him. Or he wanted to kiss her. Or she wanted him to want to kiss her. But that was insane. This is Toby. And he is definitely in love with Happy. And she, well, she has Walter. Except she doesn't have Walter. And Toby doesn't have Happy. As all of these thoughts ran through Paige's head, Toby was mercilessly trying to use every ounce of human analysis he had to figure out what she was thinking. And he is really good at what he does.

The behaviorist leaned into Paige, and when she didn't back away or try to rebuff him in anyway, he took the opportunity. Their lips met. Barely brushing over each other at first. Both mouths closed. Unsure of how far to take this. Something so new and unexpected. But at the same time not unexpected. Paige realized earlier in the cell that she might have begun to fall for this interesting yet flawed man. She realized that maybe it happened before that. Maybe it happened that first day when Toby asked Walter to "tell that waitress I'm gonna be right back". Or when Paige smiled as Toby came back boasting about his success and asking for a statue of him to be placed at LAX. Perhaps it was every time Toby expressed sincere concern over his stupid hat or every time Paige was shocked at his keen insight into human motivation and action. Whenever it first was, whatever started it, this was the culmination. And neither Paige nor Toby were sure how to react.

The kiss never deepened. And Toby pulled away. His eyes were open and watching Paige open hers. They looked at each other for a moment more before Paige looked at the ground, took a deep breath, and initiated something else. Something more than what Toby had originally planned. Paige's lips met his and this time, it wasn't so soft and unsure. It was harsh and wanting. Yearning for something greater than the little that had just happened. Toby licked at Paige's lips asking for entrance and she gladly obliged. What started out as a simple test of the waters exploded into a full make out session with touching and grabbing and gasping for air.

When the two finally pulled apart, neither knowing who left the kiss first, Paige had tears in her eyes.

"Am I that bad?" Toby asked, genuine concern in his voice where his normal sarcasm would be.

"No." Paige responded. She looked at him as she choked back tears. "This just shouldn't be happening. Right? We can't do this."

"You're right. We're just. Two friends who got caught up in a moment." Toby wanted desperately to console her. Wanted her to not be welling up with tears. More importantly, he wanted to kiss her more. He could tell from the glimmer in Paige's eyes that she too was not ready for their rendezvous to be over. So for the countless time that day, Toby took another chance. "Or," he said looking back to Paige, "maybe this is exactly what's supposed to be happening right now. Someone wise once said that nothing happens by accident. So maybe we should..."

"continue," Paige finished his sentence for him. Uncertainty in her voice and her head. But at the same time, she felt something else. Something new. Something exciting. Something she wanted to continue.

"Yeah," Toby said as he moved his hand to her cheek, cradling it in his palm. She melted into his touch and let out a soft noise, almost pur-like in it's execution. She had wanted to be touched so softly for so long. Toby adjusted his hand so that he could grab her chin and pulled her towards him. Their lips met once again, and this time, they both knew how to react.


	2. Chapter 2

***This chapter is heavily focused on Paige and Toby feeling out what might be between them and how they can handle it. The next chapter will focus on a mission, so stay tuned! And thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my story. Let me know what you think of this chapter***

THE NEXT DAY...

Paige was in bed, curled up under blankets but not asleep. Thoughts of last night were running through her mind. Kissing Toby. Touching him. It didn't go further than their lip locking tryst, but that was enough. Enough to make her question what she was doing. What she was going to do. What she wanted to do. She smiled at the thought of kissing Toby again. He was sweet in nature and taste and she got lost in the fantasy for a moment, only breaking free when her phone rang.

It was a text message from Tobias Curtis. "Is Ralph home?". Very straight forward.

Paige responded in the same way. "No. He's with Drew."

She heard a knock at the door. Putting her phone on her nightstand, she got out of bed, put a robe over her tank top and shorts, and headed towards the door. Toby was standing in the hall holding a bag and a drink carrier with 2 coffees. "Coffee and pastries?" He asked.

Paige smiled. She was also hesitant, looking at the bag of pastries and wondering what the repercussions would be for inviting Toby in. As if reading her mind, he urged, "it doesn't have to mean anything. It can just mean breakfast."

"Yeah. Okay. Come in." She said, stepping out of his way. The two made their way to the table and sat down across from each other.

As they began to enjoy their caffeine and sweets, Paige was the first to initiate conversation. "I'm not sure."

"I didn't ask you a question."

Paige took a deep breath and said, "I know. But. I'm not sure what to do. What to say. Honestly I'm not even sure what I'm feeling."

"It wasn't a mistake," Toby said instantly, wanting to repel that thought from Paige's mind. He knew what he wanted. Not only was Paige insanely attractive, but she also had all of his favorite qualities. She was brave and witty, never backed down from a challenge, and of course, she was able to put up with all of his shenanigans. She had even defended him a time or two. But just like Paige, he wasn't sure what to do about it. Things with Happy were always so...one sided. Even when they weren't, Happy always held back. Paige wasn't like that. But Paige also wasn't Happy. But for some reason he couldn't quite figure out, that didn't bother him as much as it would have before.

"Out of all the things I'm thinking...the word mistake never crossed my mind." Paige said as she looked up into Toby's eyes, pulling him from his thoughts. He was handsome. A little mischievous. Maybe not the picture perfect guy, but no one is. More importantly, his wit and humor were because of what he could observe about people. He wasn't Walter with an IQ of 197 and the EQ of a blank piece of paper that she would constantly have to try to read and figure out. He was a psychiatrist; an expert in human behavior and emotion. And he was no stranger to relationships, he used to have a fiance for goodness sake. She could see all these feelings and romance coming to fruition with him. Those things seemed like an impossibility with Walter because, no matter how far they came, they were always a million miles away. She chose her next words very carefully. "It's just going to be very complicated."

Toby smiled at the realization of what Paige was saying. "Going to be?" He asked.

Paige took a sip of her coffee and then said, "you never know if you never try." At that, she raised her cup and Toby copied her. They clanked paper coffee cups and smiled at each other. Both still too unnerved to seal their agreement with a kiss.

SCENE CHANGE

Things at the garage were normal. Mostly. Luckily, Toby is the world class behaviorist and the others are... well...not. Unsure of where their arrangement was going or what exactly to expect, the pair had agreed to keep things quiet for now. And that was proving to go over quite well. Save for a few stolen glances and smirks, they were in the clear at the garage. That is, until Cabe arrived to give the team the details of their new mission.

When Cabe walked in, Sylvester was at his desk looking at his laptop, Happy was standing in front of some metal box that he couldn't identify, and Walter was nowhere in sight. As he headed for the kitchen to get coffee, he saw it. In a moment where Paige and Toby thought they were free from anyone's line of sight, Paige affectionately rubbed his arm while laughing at a joke he made. Cabe immediately noticed the different dynamic the two were now experimenting with.

Paige noticed Cabe's presence and removed her hand from Toby. "Morning, Cabe," she said calmly, wondering what if anything he saw.

"Morning," Cabe said as he nodded his head upwards at both of them and reached for the coffee. "Just getting a little caffeine before the briefing."

"We got a new case?" Toby asked.

"Yeah. And it's a big one."

"I'll go get Walter," Paige proclaimed, not wanting Cabe to think anything ill-advised was happening. As she left, she noticed Cabe intently staring at Toby.

"This might be the dumbest thing I've ever seen either of you do," Cabe said in a low tone as not to allow the others to hear.

Toby stepped a bit closer to him to further muffle their conversation. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"She's got Ralph to think about. Are you ready for that? And what about telling Walter? Hmm. What about telling Happy? You two can't start something just because they happen to be giving you the cold shoulder right now." Cabe's voice was intense yet caring. Toby completely understood where he was coming from and he even knew it was a place of concern, for everyone involved.

"We're adults. We can handle it." Toby said and then began to walk back out to the main area. But one single thought crept into his mind. _What if we can't handle it?_

The team assembled in front of the TV screens in the main area of the garage as Cabe turned on the news.

"We're supposed to watch the news?" Walter questioned.

Cabe shook his head. "6 hours ago 15 stacks of counterfeit 100 dollars bills were found at Central Bank and Trust. We have people there now. And the media is reporting it as a robbery investigation as not to cause panic."

"Panic about what?" Sylvester asked.

"This isn't your everyday counterfeiting. These are super notes that are so good they passed the bank inspection. Only reason they were discovered is because someone realized that serial numbers weren't matching up. A large enough influx of this kind of cash could..."

"Completely collapse the American economy," Walter said finishing Cabe's sentence.

Paige was shocked. She quickly asked, "what are we supposed to do?"

"Analyze the money. Find a way to figure out who made it and where."

Toby smiled. "Backtracking. I like it."

"I can create a program that will digitally analyze all aspects down to the strip. Should be able to read any telltale markings," Walter suggested.

"I can rework the wireless printer to be able to scan the bills into Walt's software," Happy offered.

Cabe nodded his head in approval. "Good. How long will you need?"

"2 hours," Happy responded.

"You've got one."

"Then why did you ask?" Happy said as she headed towards her work area.

"Let's get to work." Walter chimmed in as he dashed for his desk and his laptop.

Sylvester added, "the chance of us actually finding whoever printed this and stopping them before they release more into the economy is less than..."

"I don't want to know," Paige cut him off.

"Fair enough," Sylvester responded.

"Why don't you run the odds on what area would be most suited for the space and equipment to pull this off?" Cabe said looking at Sylvester.

"I can do that." He responded.

"And I want to see you two up on the roof." Cabe had a hint of anger in his eyes as he spoke to Toby and Paige.

"Okay," they both chorused as they began to follow Cabe.

SCENE CHANGE

"Are you two serious?" Cabe asked now that he was alone on the roof with Toby and Paige.

Paige looked down and started to scrape the ground with her foot. She felt like a child who had just gotten into trouble with her parents. She was silent.

"We're seeing where this goes." Toby responded. He looked over at Paige and she looked back at him and smiled.

"Something happened yesterday in that cell and we thought we owed it to ourselves to explore it." She desperately tried to explain her behavior.

"You know this is going to blow up in your faces. When Walter finds out. When Happy finds out. Have you even thought about that?"

"They aren't our significant others. Currently, they are our colleagues. Friends. But Happy has made it pretty clear that she doesn't want to be with me." Toby said very sternly as his anger was rising.

Paige chimmed in, "and Walter isn't prepared or interested in a relationship. So, forgive me for finding someone who is. And that I happen to think is charming and funny and smart..." She trailed off, realizing that she was now just showering Toby with compliments. He smiled and started to open his mouth to do the same but Cabe interrupted.

"I've stated my opinion on the subject. It's your call."

"Thank you," Paige said, a small amount of relief entering her mind.

"Cabe, while we're still sorting this whole thing out..." Toby began.

Cabe looked and them both and said, "I won't say anything. But if one of them asks, I'm not going to lie."

Toby shook his head, "understood." With that, Cabe headed back down to the garage without saying another word, leaving Toby and Paige alone. "I guess the roof is looking to be our spot," he said trying to add some humor after the intense conversation that just occurred. He could tell that Paige was deep in thought, and that scared him. He knew this came with risks. He knew it could potentially be very bad. But he also knew Paige, how kind and caring she was, so this could also be very good. Very...different.

"Don't do that," Paige said pulling him from his train of thought. "Don't use humor to cover..."

"Cover what?"

"Is Cabe right? Are we making a mistake? This could be disastrous."

Toby looked at her and immediately knew. "You don't think that. You're not scared because this could be disastrous. You're scared because this could be great."

She smirked, a little annoyed. "I'm not sure if I love it or hate it when you do that."

Toby jerked his head to the side and rolled his eyes playfully as he said, "love it."

"Seriously, stop it now," she responded.

"Yes ma'am," Toby said without skipping a beat.

They both knew what was coming next. They had to go back to the garage before too much time passed and things grew suspicious. The question became, would they kiss first? Do they dare lock lips and then go to work as if nothing happened? Just then a terrible thought entered Paige's mind. _What if that's all this is? Just physical._

The thought led to her blurting out, "I don't think we should do anything until more time has passed." Toby looked at her questioningly after her sudden outburst.

"Meaning?" He asked.

"Physical. I don't think we should do anything physical until we know if this is..."

"More than physical?"

"Yes."

They were looking into each other's eyes, and Paige almost immediately broke the rule she had just created. But Toby smiled and said, "okay," effectively ending any urge she was about to act on. The two started down the stairs, once again avoiding another round of lip locking.


End file.
